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Rafael Nadal shall be joined by a fleet of massive names on the clay courts of Barcelona for the ATP 500 occasion to be held from 19 to 25 April. The event web site has confirmed the entry listing, which options the likes of Stefanos Tsitsipas, Diego Schwartzman and Denis Shapovalov.
It got here as no shock that Rafael Nadal – after whom the centre courtroom on the Actual Membership de Tenis Barcelona venue is called – has confirmed to play the event for a sixteenth time. Nevertheless, the 2021 area is arguably probably the most aggressive it has been in years.
Each Tsitsipas (Madrid 2019 semifinal) and Schwartzman (Rome 2020 quarterfinal) have picked up high-profile wins over Rafael Nadal on clay within the latest previous. Tsitsipas even defeated Nadal within the Australian Open quarterfinals earlier this yr, after overturning a two-set deficit.
The Nadal slayers shall be joined by native favorites Roberto Bautista Agut and Pablo Carreno Busta, in addition to David Goffin, Felix Auger Aliassime and Nick Kyrgios. Teengae sensation Jannik Sinner – who reached the quarterfinals of Roland Garros in his very first look – can also be within the entry listing for the event in Catalonia.
Nevertheless, defending champion and World No. 4 Dominic Thiem will skip Barcelona this yr. The Austrian has as a substitute opted to play the ATP 250 occasion in Belgrade, which shall be held in the identical week as Barcelona.
Novak Djokovic and Dominic Thiem headline sturdy lineup in Belgrade
Novak Djokovic was nearly routinely confirmed to play the ATP 250 occasion in Belgrade the second the Hungarian Open relocated to the Serbian capital. The Djokovic household is closely concerned within the planning of the event, with the World No. 1’s brother Djordje being the event director.
The occasion in Serbia has attracted loads of different huge names too, making for a really aggressive ATP 250 area. Dominic Thiem has determined to not defend his title in Barcelona (from which he’ll solely drop 250 factors because of the new rating system), and he shall be joined in Belgrade by the likes of Matteo Berrettini and Stan Wawrinka.
Additionally becoming a member of the sector in Belgrade is veteran Gael Monfils, who’s at the moment on a seven-match dropping streak courting again to 12 months in the past. There’ll, as well as, be heavy illustration from the Balkan area within the type of Borna Coric, Dusan Lajovic, Filip Krajinovic and Miomir Kecmanovic.
Australian Open semifinalist and Dubai title-holder Aslan Karatsev can also be within the lineup. The Russian shall be seeded eighth, after his meteoric rise to the highest 30 of the world rankings this yr.
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